What you’ll have?
• At least 3 years of experience, preferably in an agency environment at Senior Account Executive or Account Manager level
• An interest in consumer gadgets
• Enthusiasm and the kind of ideas our clients will love
• Experience of working on B2C accounts
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

What’s involved?
• Work closely with our clients to understand their needs and requirements and develop PR campaigns, draft press releases and secure coverage accordingly.
• Grow existing accounts and assist in the winning of new ones.
• Build strong relationships with clients and media/journalist contacts.
• Day to day account management duties including budget control and ensuring work is completed on time and to the highest standards.

If you like the sound of this, then get in touch by e-mail with pietro@raniericoms.com

Over the course of five days I’ve got involved in a number of different activities, including:
• I learnt about the different roles in the business such as the Account Executives and Account Managers and what their job consisted of.
• I sat in on a company meeting, on Monday, to get an idea of the tasks that everyone was working on for the week.
• I grew a deep understanding of the administration jobs at a PR Agency such as: sorting out press lists, filing, sending products, clipping coverage for display, clearing the stock room and making up press packs for headphone maker V-Moda’s press tour.
• I spent time developing a media alert for one of the clients, wireless memory card maker Eye-Fi, and tested my photoshop skills by creating a spoof image of Steven Gerrard lifting the World Cup.
• I also helped put together a coverage book for software company Helveta, listing all of the coverage they had received this year.
• Another job I took on was researching facts and statistics to be used within future media work for Eye-Fi and also finding details about Awards Ceremonies that they could enter.

I also learned a bit about office pranks as, on my last day Andy, Tom and myself sabotaged the girls’ computers whilst they were enjoying the “winner’s lunch” that they had been gloating about.

Overall, I’ve really enjoyed my time here and want to thank everyone for making me feel welcome.

Jack Roberts

California, January 26th 2010 – Blue Microphones (www.bluemic.com ), a leading innovator in microphone technology and design, announces the UK availability of its consumer model, the Snowball.  Ideal for podcasts, Skype conversations and home recording, the Snowball is a professional USB microphone featuring a proprietary condenser capsule that projects a smooth open sound with a natural high end.  The Snowball has been developed by Blue Microphones to ensure that sound is picked up as effectively on the desktop as in a recording studio.  

Recording a podcast in the bedroom or a complete band in the studio has never been so simple, as the Snowball can capture sound with detail unheard of in a USB microphone.  With a dual capsule design and unique three-pattern switch (cardioid, cardioid with -10dB pad and omnidirectional), the Snowball can handle everything from soft vocals to the loudest sound, picking up everything at equal volume in a 360 degree sphere or from right in front of the microphone at full volume.

The Snowball offers complete ease of use and is simply plugged into a Mac, Windows desktop PC or laptop. From there, the input level can be adjusted and a red LED light will appear to indicate the Snowball is ready for use. In addition, it does not require any batteries or technical software.

William Merchan, Vice President, Sales, at Blue Microphones, comments: “Delivering simple yet excellent quality to our consumers is most important.  Although a consumer offering, the Snowball benefits from Blue’s legendary audio heritage, born out of many years of experience creating microphones for professionals around the globe. Small but perfectly formed, the Snowball is perfect for live bands, podcasting, instrument and voice production.”
 

Technical specifications

Acoustical operating principle: Position 1-3: Pressure gradient
Polar Pattern: 102: Cardiod; Position 3: Omnidirectional
Frequency response: 1 – 3: 40 – 18000 kHz
Sample/Word Rate: 44.1 kHz/16 bit
Weight: 460g
Dimensions: 325mm (circumference)

The Snowball comes with a 6-inch stand and USB cable.  

Pricing and availability

The Snowball is available from www.apple.com or http://www.solutions-inc.co.uk/ for £89.95.

For further information, high-res images or to request a sample, please contact Khristina Benning on 01296 394614 or alternatively email Khristina@raniericoms.com

### End ###

About Blue Microphones

Founded in 1995 by Skipper Wise and Martins Saulespurens, Blue has grown from a desire to refurbish vintage high-end microphones for fellow musicians into a unique, multi-faceted audio company with a prestigious line of award-winning microphones and accessories. Headquartered in Westlake Village, California, with onsite engineering and manufacturing facilities in Latvia, Blue Microphone’s current projects include the building of a state-of-the-art recording and training facility and capsulate testing area located at its headquarters.

Medion began as a budget brand, but has built up a loyal customer base. Readers declared themselves impressed not just by the great value, but by their PCs’ reliability and specification, and expressed delight at the quality of the hardware and trouble-free ownership – even over the course of four or more years of use.

Those who did consult Medion’s tech support team reported fast turnaround times and a willingness to assist even when the hardware wasn’t at fault. As a result, Medion boasted more customers than any other brand who said they’d recommend its products to friends.

The runners-up in this category were: Acer; Dell; HP Compaq; and Packard Bell.

Source: PC Advisor http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3209639

To learn more about Medion, please contact Sophie[at]raniericoms.com

Ranieri has been hired to build Incipio’s brand awareness within the UK. From strategic product launches to leveraging sponsorship opportunities, including CES and the 2010 Gumball 3000, Ranieri will continue to position Incipio as an innovator and leader in its marketplace.

Consumer, lifestyle, technology and online sectors will be targeted through traditional PR activity as well as social networking tools.

Founded in 1999 by a group of gadget-obsessed designers, Incipio has grown to become one of the leaders in the device accessories industry, manufacturing cases for some of the industry’s best-known brands including Apple, Microsoft and BlackBerry.

For more information on Incipio and its products please contact Sophie Spooner on 01296 394614 or email sophie@raniericoms.com

Bluelounge, the award-winning international design studio specialising in cable management products, today launches the Refresh charging dock, a stylish and practical charging station for everyday life. The Refresh provides power and storage for a wide range of mobile devices and prevents the usual tangled web of wires from various leads and connectors. The Refresh is available from www.myetoyz.com for £79.99.

Specifically commissioned by Apple, Bluelounge created the Refresh to fit into day to day environments, from the office work desk to the bedroom side table or the kitchen. The Refresh combines attractive design, ease of use and practicality as it is compatible with over 1000 products and can charge up to four devices at one time.

The Refresh charging station provides users with two iPod or iPhone connectors, a mini USB connector, a micro USB connector and two more USB sockets. Users attach their product, place the rubberised black cover over of the box to hide away the cables and then rest the charging device on top. The Refresh works with the majority of mobile phone manufacturers, including BlackBerry, HTC, Sony Ericsson and Motorola and, with addition of the USB sockets, it will also charge Nokia, LG, Palm, and Samsung phones to name a few.

The Refresh is not limited to mobile phones, it will charge anything that uses a rechargeable battery and has a compatible port, for instance, for sat nav, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, digital media players, digital cameras and so forth.

For more information on the Refresh product and other Bluelounge products, contact tom@raniericoms.com or call 01296 394614

Pricing and availability

The Refresh is available from www.myetoyz.com for £79.99 and comes in either black, white or pink colours.

About Bluelounge

Bluelounge, founded in 1999 by designers Dominic Symons and Melissa Sunjaya, is a multidisciplinary design studio that creates a synergy of product, graphic, interactive design and original illustration. Bluelounge products are distributed through over 100 U.S. locations and 17 international distributors, promotional agents and licensees. Bluelounge’s design studios and administrative offices are in both Los Angeles and Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition to their own branded products, Bluelounge has undertaken design commissions for major corporations such as Airwalk, Microsoft, Panasonic, and Trina Turk.

Contact:
Tom Warren
Ranieri Communications
Tel: 01296 394614
Email: tom@raniericoms.com

WildCharge, the power provision specialist, today announces that the award winning range of charging products for mobile devices will now be available from www.myetoyz.com. This extensive collection, which includes The WildCharger pad charging mat, provides users with safe and efficient wireless power to keep their mp3 players, digital cameras and mobile phones, including the iPhone, Palm Pre and HTC phones, fully charged.

The WildCharge products, including the WildCharger pad and selection of ‘Skins’, ‘Universal Swing Arm adaptors’ and PowerDiscs, work in unison to provide 1:1 charging power for up to six electronic devices at once. The pad is a thin and flat 8 x 6 inch mat which delivers up to 15 watts of power, charging each device as if it were plugged directly into the wall. The WildCharger pad cuts out automatically when touched or has any liquid spilt on it, making it safe for all ages to use. The pad is also extremely energy efficient and will shut off power as soon as a device is charged and goes into standby mode when it is not charging anything.

With a wide selection of Skins Universal Swing Arm adaptors and the PowerDisc, the WildCharger pad is compatible with most mobile phones and portable devices which use a rechargeable battery. The WildCharge Skins are available for the BlackBerry Curve, Pearl and iPhone and offer a flexible protective gel case combined with embedded WildCharge technology. The skin makes an electrical connection with the WildCharger pad and immediately starts charging the phone. The skins can be kept on at all times, acting as an attractive protective case.

The Universal Swing Arm and PowerDisc adaptors fit any device with either a micro or mini USB connector, including mobile phones from Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, LG and now Palm. As with the Skins, these discreet adaptors are fitted onto the back of the device and make an electrical connection with the pad to provide a powerful and reliable charge.

The WildCharger complete with the iPhone skin is available now.

Pricing and availability

All products are available from www.myetoyz.com (all prices include VAT).
WildCharger pad – £49.99
WildCharge BlackBerry Curve Skin – £24.99
WildCharge BlackBerry Pearl Skin – £24.99
WildCharge iPhone 3G Skin – £29.99
WildCharge iPod Touch Skin – £29.99
WildCharge Universal Swing Arm with two Mini USB tips – £34.50
WildCharge Universal Swing Arm with Nokia tip – £29.99
WildCharge Universal Swing Arm with Sony Ericsson tip – £29.99

WildCharge products are also available from www.equip-u.com, www.Firebox.com, www.mobilefun.co.uk, www.expansys.com, and www.amazon.co.uk,

For more information on WildCharge and its product range, please contact tom@raniericoms.com or call 01296 394614

About WildCharge

With headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, WildCharge, Inc. (www.uk.wildcharge.com) deliver power to mobile electronic devices with safe, wire-free electric technology. WildCharge’s technology can wirelessly power many devices at once. The company’s solution eliminates the need for consumers to regularly transport bulky chargers, adapters, and cords for every battery-powered mobile device they carry, and ends the struggle with congested outlets and power strips.

Contact:
Tom Warren
Ranieri Communications
Tel: 01296 394614
Email: tom@raniericoms.com

London, UK, 15th September 2009: UK based company, Lava Accessories Ltd, today announces the i-Buddy, a USB gadget for everyday applications such as MSN, Windows Media Player and e-mail. i-Buddy is an animated and customisable computer robot that reacts to the user’s computer programmes by flapping its wings, swinging from left to right, flashing its heart and illuminating in eight different colours.

The i-Buddy is intended to elevate the experience of communicating through the web, as well as being an interactive tool for users working with general computer applications. i-Buddy works with the most popular instant-messaging application, Windows Live™ Messenger, by reacting to all received emoticons and messages such as a wink, an angry face or a smile. It also dances to Windows Media Player, flaps to email notifications and alerts the user to download completions, mouse clicks, alarms and computer weather widgets.

The internet has changed the way people stay in touch and the i-Buddy adds a little more fun when users are working, chatting or playing. The ultra-cool gadget comes in eight different varieties to suit every personality, age and taste.

The i-Buddy’s
➢ The Original – the next generation of the original MSN figurine, available with either pink or blue wings
➢ The Twins – two cute and joyful characters that come with either pink or purple wings
➢ The Angel and Devil – for the cheekier user
➢ Special Edition Originals – these cool and chic i-Buddy’s are available in either all black or all white

Customisable notifications
The three-inch tall figurine connects to a computer using a USB cable and when an IM arrives, depending on the message content, i-Buddy will perform various motions and effects to deliver the emotional meaning of the sender. In addition, i-Buddy’s online community enables users to share software, new emoticons and chat online. With its completely customisable interface and open software, users can now create their own emoticons and integrate their own widgets and web applications, such as football team goal alerts, calendar alarms and download notifications.

Ian Pearson, Managing Director, at Lava Accessories Limited, comments: “One of the key features of the i-Buddy is its interactive qualities, not just in terms of the physical gadget but the online community that goes hand in hand. New updates for the i-Buddy are being released every week, and now shared for free.”

Powered by USB, the i-Buddy is PC only and runs on Windows 2000/XP/Vista, and MSN Messenger version 7.0 or above.

Pricing and availability

The i-Buddy is available now for £19.99 inc VAT. Available from www.amazon.co.uk

For further information on the i-Buddy or to request a unit for review, please contact sophie@raniericoms.com.

About Lava Accessories
Lava Accessories is a manufacturer and distributor of Consumer Electronics across the UK and continental Europe. Privately owned and operated, Lava was established in early 2009 by Managing Director Ian Pearson, to address a need for quality, affordable products within the iPod Accessories market. Rapid expansion has now seen Lava produce OEM Home Audio solutions for major retailers across Europe, as well as hold a large distribution portfolio of USB gadgets and other ‘boys toys’. Primarily located in Oxford UK, Lava also has offices in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, China. For further information, or to become a stockist, please contact sales@lavalimited.com.

Contact:
Sophie Spooner
Ranieri Communications
Tel: 01296 394614
Email: sophie@raniericoms.com

PCW launched in 1978, and whilst I was a tad to young to remember, the magazine is said to have defined UK home computing during the ’80s. PCW’s most recent ABC for 2008 was 54,009, however the August issue that is due to hit newstands this week, will be its last.

The closure is expected to cause around a dozen redundancies. From a Ranieri perspective, it is sad to see journalists that we have worked with for so many years out of a job, so lets hope they all find another post very soon.

Managing director Graham Harman explained, “Sadly, no amount of hard work or innovation was going to turn around the structural decline in advertising and newsstand sales. The depth of this recession and the ease of access to information online has only served to accelerate the long-term downward trend within this particular sector.”

Adam

Stuart Miles is off to set up an office in New York next week so the Pocket-Lint collective held a bit of a get together last night at the stylish Alphabet Bar to say hi and good bye to PRs, fellow journalists and readers alike. It was great to put some names to faces and we wish Stuart all the best in the US of A!

The three of us then met James Holland, Joe Svetlik, Joe Minihane, Tom Wiggins and Sam Kieldsen at the Pillars of Hercules – the best name for a pub ever? – for a few sharpeners. When James mentioned the Wheelie Bag DJ would be playing, none of us really knew what to expect. However, we were greeted with a real hidden London gem!

Deejay Wheelie Bag plays a unique collection of 50s and 60s R’n'B, Ska and Calypso music on what looks like a home made turntable and speaker contraption! The most surprising aspect of this innovative device were his ‘ladies’ – a pair of Hula girl dolls on rotating fishing rods which lit up and danced along to the music! I can’t really do it justice as this evening really has to be seen to be believed. 

So if you fancy some old school classics, interspersed with a Smashie and Nicie style commentary, dancing dolls and a few general knowledge quiz rounds thrown in for good measure, then head down to the Pillars of Hercules every Wednesday evening!

Tom